why spend days trying to chip away at stones to make tools
when your home grows homegrown tools for you.
Did you ever try to cut up a good haunch of mastodon using a piece of limestone? That is basically what cave formations are made of. And as far as that goes there was a powerful tradition for Neanderthals to carry good tool making material for long distances. Even Homo Hablis, 2 to 2 1/2 million years ago carried good stone with them. The source for the stone they used in making their Oldowon tools was often over a mile from the place they created them.
Notice that these are not limestone. They are plenty good enough to butcher large animals. Experiments have shown that they are quite capable of butchering an elephant.
By the time of the Neanderthals tool making had made great strides. One of the marks of a Neanderthal site is the presence of Mousterian tools.
Notice they are much more sophisticated. The Oldowan tools are basically broken rocks. The Mousterian tools are highly worked to provide much better edges. And they aren't made of limestone.
Bill Gill
